What's in this guide?

Crowdfunding has been one of the best things ever to happen to artists and entrepreneurs.

This is the most thorough guide on crowdfunding you'll find anywhere.

This “pennies from many” model allows many more people to pursue their creative visions. For prospective entrepreneurs, crowdfunding is an exciting way to generate attention, validate an idea, and perhaps most importantly, raise capital without going into debt.

But running a campaign is no walk in the park. That’s why we put together this guide to help.

Here you’ll find data-driven tips and expert advice on finding the right products to sell, picking the right platform for you, optimizing every aspect of your campaign, and transitioning to an enduring business afterwards. Want a quick template for pitching reporters? We have just the thing. Want a comparison of the five major crowdfunding platforms in a handy table? We have it here.

In addition to detailed research, this blog post features in-depth interviews with four of the most successful crowdfunding entrepreneurs in the world, as well as an infographic presenting an analysis of 400,000 Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns. Produced in a collaboration with HiveWire, a crowdfunding solutions company, Crowdfunding 101 is the best resource out there for understanding differences between platforms and characteristics of successful campaigns.

We hope to reach our goal of helping to launch many more successful campaigns.